Pterosaur Tracks from the Upper Cretaceous Anacleto Formation (Neuquén Basin), Northern Patagonia, Argentina: Insights into Campanian Pterosaur Diversity in Gondwana
Registro en:
1424-2818
Autor
Díaz Martínez, Ignacio
Heredia, Arturo M.
González, Santiago Nicolás
Canale, Nerina
de Valais, Silvina
Cónsole Gonella, Carlos Alfredo
Montes, Romina M.
Caratelli, Martina
Urzagasti Torres, Sofía
Fischer, Geraldine
Lecuona, Agustina
Paniceres, Pablo
Salgado, Leonardo
Citton, Paolo
Institución
Resumen
Fil: Díaz Martínez, Ignacio. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones en Paleobiología y Geología. Río Negro; Argentina. Fil: Heredia, Arturo M. Departamento de Ciencias Geológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1428EGA, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Instituto de Estudios Andinos Don Pablo Groeber (IDEAN), CONICET—Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1428EGA, Buenos Aires, Argentina Fil: González, Santiago Nicolás. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones en Paleobiología y Geología. Río Negro; Argentina. Fil: Canale, Nerina. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones en Paleobiología y Geología. Río Negro; Argentina. Fil: de Valais, Silvina. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones en Paleobiología y Geología. Río Negro; Argentina. Fil: Cónsole Gonella, Carlos Alfredo. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica (INSUGEO), Universidad Nacional de Tucumán-CONICET, Miguel Lillo 205, Tucumán, Argentina Fil: Montes, Romina M. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones en Paleobiología y Geología. Río Negro; Argentina. Fil: Caratelli, Martina. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones en Paleobiología y Geología. Río Negro; Argentina. Fil: Urzagasti Torres, Sofía. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones en Paleobiología y Geología. Río Negro; Argentina. Fil: Fischer, Geraldine. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones en Paleobiología y Geología. Río Negro; Argentina. Fil: Lecuona, Agustina. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones en Paleobiología y Geología. Río Negro; Argentina. Fil: Paniceres, Pablo. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones en Paleobiología y Geología. Río Negro; Argentina. Fil: Salgado, Leonardo. Dirección de Turismo, Municipalidad de General Roca, General Roca 8332, Río Negro, Argentina Fil: Citton, Paolo. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones en Paleobiología y Geología. Río Negro; Argentina. The Campanian Anacleto Formation holds an abundant and diverse ichnofossil and body-fossil vertebrate record. Despite the striking diversity of this record, pterosaur fossils had never been described from the unit. Here, we report four pterosaur manus tracks from fluvial red beds cropping out in the Área Natural Protegida Municipal Paso Córdoba (Río Negro Province, northern Patagonia, Argentina). Tracks are longer than wide, tridactyl with digit impressions of different lengths (I < II < III), anteriorly directed and laterally asymmetrical. Being on loose slabs and lacking direct examination of pes morphology, the material is classified as undetermined pterosaur tracks. The new find represents the first occurrence of pterosaurs from the lower–middle Campanian of Argentina and one of the few evidences from South America for this time interval. In addition, it is one of the few ichnological pterosaur records from Gondwana, thus shedding light on the palaeobiogeography of this clade during the latest Cretaceous. Pterosaur tracks from the Anacleto Formation allow us to integrate the body-fossil record from the unit and to add a new component, along with birds, to the flying archosaur fauna coexisting with non-avian dinosaurs, notosuchians, chelonians, squamates and mammals in the Campanian of northern Patagonia. true The Campanian Anacleto Formation holds an abundant and diverse ichnofossil and body-fossil vertebrate record. Despite the striking diversity of this record, pterosaur fossils had never been described from the unit. Here, we report four pterosaur manus tracks from fluvial red beds cropping out in the Área Natural Protegida Municipal Paso Córdoba (Río Negro Province, northern Patagonia, Argentina). Tracks are longer than wide, tridactyl with digit impressions of different lengths (I < II < III), anteriorly directed and laterally asymmetrical. Being on loose slabs and lacking direct examination of pes morphology, the material is classified as undetermined pterosaur tracks. The new find represents the first occurrence of pterosaurs from the lower–middle Campanian of Argentina and one of the few evidences from South America for this time interval. In addition, it is one of the few ichnological pterosaur records from Gondwana, thus shedding light on the palaeobiogeography of this clade during the latest Cretaceous. Pterosaur tracks from the Anacleto Formation allow us to integrate the body-fossil record from the unit and to add a new component, along with birds, to the flying archosaur fauna coexisting with non-avian dinosaurs, notosuchians, chelonians, squamates and mammals in the Campanian of northern Patagonia.